Reaching new audiences with Marketplace
Jul 25, 2023
In a time when polls show trust in news is declining, all of our APMG brands, including Marketplace, stand out as countering this erosion—our brands are seen and heard as essential, reliable, and solid.
As I write this message to you, our supporters and friends, Kai Ryssdal and Marketplace are in China with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Selected as one of just four news outlets to travel with the Secretary, Kai and his team have been on the frontline covering this visit between the world’s two largest economies designed to address economic challenges, competition, and difficult agreements. Such a select invitation signals the impressive standing of the host, the program, and the team. Read more about this important trip here.
Marketplace, led since 2021 by General Manager Neal Scarbrough, has strengthened its muscle, focused on its mission, and worked to convert information into empowerment. Neal and his team are working to fulfill the brand promise “to raise the economic intelligence of all Americans.”
Marketplace’s reach is broad. Its portfolio reaches more than 20 million listeners monthly (11.4M on public radio stations, 10.3M via podcast downloads and 430,000 followers on social media). Marketplace works to reach and expand its audience through innovation and “snackable” information that makes listeners smarter about financial subjects. I’m especially excited by the deep commitment the Marketplace team is making to create welcoming pathways for young people of color who are looking for content that will help them advance their careers and financial savviness. “We’re happy to make their story our story,” said Neal. Marketplace and its expanding list of exceptional products are increasingly where a key audience of younger listeners of color can find themselves IN the stories.
Earlier this month the Marketplace Morning Report launched a special series, called “ Skin the Game,” that takes host David Brancaccio to the Oakland headquarters of Gameheads, a development accelerator that teaches young people the skills needed to break into the $100 billion per year video game business. To put that number into economic context (as Kai often says at the end of the show) the video gaming industry is bigger than the music and television industries combined. This series is shining a light on emerging entrepreneurs and letting mainstream listeners in on their common bonds. The show translates the power of gaming and turns it into financial literacy. Watch a bit of the sizzle here.
I’m hearing from both strangers and friends that they hear a difference in the way we are telling stories across our MPR and APM brands. They see our commitment to inclusion in who we’re talking to and how we are framing the stories. Equity is a major focus for Neal and the Marketplace team, and it shows up there every day. They excel at hearing from everyday people, sharing stories about the ways they apply resources to build their financial lives and overall wellbeing.
Another great example is new a Marketplace franchise, Financially Inclined with host Yanely Espinal. This young money podcaster walks young adults through the money lessons we all wish we had learned way back when. Marketplace is not new to this space; our Million Bazillion
podcast has been talking to young kids and their parents about money through four award-winning seasons. In Financially Inclined, Million Bazillion has “grown up” to help the big kids manage their money. Listen to what Yanely has to tell us in this intro to the podcast.
Marketplace believes: Information>>>Empowerment>>>Equity. These new video podcasts and programs will reach new audiences and continue to help expand the future of public media. Want to help us reach and serve more young people of color with our great content? Click here to support Marketplace.
Thanks for listening! And thanks for your steadfast support.
Duchesne Drew
President, Minnesota Public Radio
About Duchesne Drew
Duchesne Drew is Senior Vice President of American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio. In this role, he leads the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports and Marketplace. Additionally, he oversees YourClassical MPR as a part of Minnesota Public Radio.